McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College softball team got back into the win column on Monday sweeping the William Penn University Statesmen out at Bulldog Park.
Game one was close, with the lead changing hands three times in the seven innings played. In the end, the Bulldogs found a way to take the opener 5-4. Jordyn Johnson was in the circle for the Bulldogs, going the distance and picking up her third win of the season. She gave up four runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and just one walk.
Offensively, the Bulldogs cranked out 11 hits by seven different players. Four Bulldogs recorded multiple hits, and two of the 11 hits went for extra bases. Sierra Cortez, Lacy Weaver, MacKenzie Egan, and Heidi Fischer each had two hits. Weaver was 2 for 3 with a double and Fischer went 2 for 3 with a triple.
William Penn got on the board first on an RBI single in the top of the first inning. The Bulldogs finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the third, taking a 2-1 lead, on RBI singles from Weaver and Egan. They extended the lead to 3-1 the next inning when Cortez drove in Fischer with a single to the shortstop. The Statesmen rallied in the top of the fifth, taking the lead 4-3 on a three run homerun by Val Quiroga.
A half inning later the Bulldogs had first and third and two outs. Egan took off for second and the Statesmen threw to the second baseman instead of to the bag at second base hoping to throw out Weaver if she tried going home. The plan backfired as the WPU second basemen didn't seem to expect the throw. She bobbled it, allowing Weaver to score from third to tie the game at 4. In the bottom of the sixth Macee Hollins scored what would turn out to be the winning run on a throwing error by the Statesmen. The Bulldogs did their job defensively in the top of the seventh and escaped with a 5-4 victory.
In the second game, the Bulldog bats stayed hot and handed the Statesmen an early loss, 9-1 in five innings. The Bulldogs scored two in the first, two in the third, one I the fourth, and four in the fifth, walking it off in the bottom of the fifth on a single by Ellis Woodruff that scored Caeley Billings from third base.
Raegan Kleppe picked up the win in the circle for the Bulldogs, going the distance and giving up just one run on eight hits. She finished with five strikeouts and just one walk.
Offensively, Weaver had a perfect game at the dish, going 3 for 3 with a single, a double, and a triple. She also scored three times, and drove in another of the Bulldog runs. The other big hits in the game for the Bulldogs were homeruns by Brandy Trengove, and Nichole Martinez. Trengove hit a two run shot in the bottom of the first inning, and Martinez' was a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth.
"Very proud of our team today," said Coach Segovia. "We competed hard every inning and it showed. Pitching was good and we got some timely hits and the defense played well. We will keep working and get ready for the weekend."
Monday's sweep puts the Bulldogs at 5-8 overall on the season. They will be back in action this weekend at the Red Dirt Classic in Oklahoma City, hosted by Langston University. The tournament gets underway on Friday where the Bulldogs will play Texas A&M San Antonio in the 2:00 game then finish with #4 Oklahoma City University in the night cap at 7:00 pm. On Saturday they will open with Oklahoma Panhandle State University at 11:00 am then wrap up with St. Mary of the Woods in the finale at 7:00 pm.
